Week 45-Transfer 6

Aloooooha!

8/19/13

Hola familia!

Wow! I can't believe how big Maelie and Kason are! Thanks for the pictures! That's so sad about our tree! There better be some left when I get home! Oh, that is so cool about the new temple video by the way! I don't know if they are showing it in Laie yet but I can't wait to see it! Seriously, it's the big talk around missionaries out here:) I have been praying extra hard for you all this week. It's crazy how much of the refiners fire we need to go through. 

This week has been quite the week for us as well. I feel like every time something happens to where I think "ok, I got this!" Something else happens to humble me big time. Sometimes I just get tired of being humbled all the time but at the same time, I am truly so grateful for these experiences. I am learning how to depend more on the Lord. It amazes me so much to think how loving and patient he is with me. I look back and see all the mistakes I have made and all my weaknesses, and yet he still loves me and blesses me and comforts me. It reminds me of what Elder Holland said in conference, "Imperfect people are all God has to work with" and yet he deals with it:) I guess it makes me more forgiving of others weaknesses as well and helps me to love just a bit more. 

Truly though, this week has been full of miracles. We had a couple of Zone exchanges and Sister Gleason got sick one of the days, and yet we were able to find 3 new investigators and visit many less-actives! Two of the new investigators came from the former investigator list in the area book and one was from a referral from church Head quarters. It was really neat actually. His sister was the one to refer him. She lives in Washington and was just baptized recently and their mom is getting baptized the beginning of September. He found out she was baptized from Facebook cause there was a picture of her in front of the temple and holding a Book of Mormon. He had to look up online to see what it was but then he called her asking about it. He said that about 5 times or so during that conversation he had told her he was curious and would "look into it". Thankfully she took the initiative and sent a referral to us for him:) When we showed up he was super nervous at first, he kept saying how he wasn't "even sure where to begin" We told him that if he was interested in learning more, we were the ones to talk to:) We sat down and gave him the first lesson right there. It was such a great lesson! The spirit was so strong and he has been so prepared! Everything it says to say in Preach My Gospel was exactly what he needed to hear. He had been raised Catholic and eventually decided he didn't agree with the church because of something he read (about the Apostasy  that made it seem too "man made". He does have a strong belief in God though and wants to find out for himself if what we have taught is true. The only issue is, like with so many, is business. He is too busy throughout the week he doesn't know when he can meet again. He wants to set up an appt. for 2 weeks from now but we will keep in touch and visit him before then for sure:) 

This is only one of so many miracles we were able to see this week, with non members and less actives alike. Even through rough times, the Lord is going to bless us. I love you all so much and am so grateful for your examples and prayers. I can't believe that transfers are coming up! We only have one more week left! I will most likely be taken back to Laie this time. I have mixed feelings about that but I am excited for whatever happens. I will be going back to speaking a bit more Spanish again I suppose. I have been reading El Libro de Mormon still but that really only gets you so far. Yesterday, the one Mexican from our ward came up and started speaking to me and was trying to tell me something but I was having the hardest time understanding, let alone, answering him back. This was the first Spanish conversation I had tried to have in months. I hope he didn't say anything too important cause I only got bits and pieces:/. After that experience, I realized again how much I don't know and it scared me quite a bit. This is truly a trial of my faith. I can tell myself that God would not call me to fail and that a miracle could happen to where I can actually learn this language that I now love so much, but it is difficult to see that right now. I continue to learn to trust in Him. For many of our dinner appointments, we have been using an object lesson in order to teach how "with God, all things are possible". I guess He is just trying my faith right now to see how much I truly believe that. I know things will work out and I continue to try and get over my fears and talk in Spanish when I have the opportunities and just wait for the miracle:) Either way, I know He loves me and I am not alone in this.

Also this Sunday, we were rather blessed when President and Sister Warner and the area of the 70 here, Elder Auna, all spoke in our sacrament meeting. I sure wish we could have been able to get our investigators there because it was a powerful meeting. Kind of like a mini conference. The ward is super pumped now though. The whole meeting was about missionary work and how members can work with the full time missionaries to do the work. We got a referral right after the meeting so I guess it worked:) I love this ward and this work so much and I love how much my testimony and conversion grows each day. I love you all and am praying for you extra hard. Never forget that:)

Les Quiero Mucho! 

Hermana Rowley (Shayla)

Our very small shower in our very small apartment